Kusanagi?!? Jealous?? Unbelievable!
by Hollywithaneye
Summary: What if Murakumo had been nicer? What if *gasp* Momiji had a crush on him?? Don't worry, it's still M/K, but let's take a trip down the Lane of Interesting Situations...Kusanagi? Jealous? Unbelievable! *Unfinished...I will work like a madwoman to finish i
1. New Kid in Town

Kusanagi?? Jealous?!?! Unbelievable!!

_Author's Notes: This fic idea came to me one day while talking to Ruri Hoshino about how weird the idea of Momiji/Murakumo was. I began to think…what if, in some alternate universe, Murakumo isn't quite the bad guy he was, and what if Momiji developed a little crush on him? What if Kusanagi got jealous? What if that's why he always fights Murakumo? Well, if any of these warped scenarios sounds interesting to you, read on my friend! Enter the wacky world of Threnody's Blue Seed! (and don't forget to R&R on your way out!) This is still a work in progress, and I will probably not only be adding chapters but revising the existing ones, so check back often and re-read the parts you already have read! Thanks, and enjoy! ~ Threnody _

Oh yeah, and do not own...yadayada...Yuzo Takada's...yadayada...no money...yadayada...do not sue!   


Placement: This piece, although not in the same world or order as the series, begins with the scene that takes place at the end of episode 9, when Murakumo first makes his appearance. It does still contain spoilers about Murakumo, so if you haven't seen the whole series yet consider yourself warned!   
  


**Chapter One**   
  


As he walked slowly away, long black hair swaying in easy waves down his broad back, Momiji desperately attempted to place her jaw back into some semblance of normality. At some point in the last 5 minutes, while this strange _someone_ had been talking to them, it had taken up residence somewhere around her knees and she was beginning to realize how ridiculous she looked. Noticing that she also was clutching Kusanagi's arm, Momiji jerked back before Dark-hair could see and continued to stare after the mystery man. 

Kusanagi glanced over at Momij, and did a double take at the expression on her face. Following her line of sight, he saw her staring after the man who had just saved them both. She had a lost look on her face, and Kusanagi examined it sharply. Probably just in shock after all this, he thought. 

"Hey Momi-" he began, but was cut off midsentence by a sigh from the girl next to him. 

"Who do you suppose he is?" she asked, a decidedly dreamy look in her eyes. 

Waving a gloved hand in front of her face, Kusanagi tried to get her attention to snap back. "Hello??" he said, a little perturbed. 

"Hmm?" Momiji finally dragged her attention back to Kusanagi, staring at him with unfocused emerald eyes. 

"Nothing," he shook his head, exasperated. Just then, the TAC pulled up and Kusanagi decided to beat a hasty retreat before the explaining had to begin. "Catch you later, Princess," he said, waving as he walked off. Frowning, he realised a minute later that she hadn't even said goodbye to him. Something had really gotten her rattled today, and he wasn't sure what it was. But he knew that he didn't like it one bit. 

~*~*~ 

"You should have seen him Ryoko! He just swooped out of nowhere and took care of that Arigami wham-bam! Just as it was about to hurt Kusanagi! Kusangi was trying to take care of it, but Dark-hair just flew right in and one-two! Problem gone!" Momiji gushed, practically tripping over her words in her excitement and hands gesturing wildly in the small front seat of their car. Easing the small vehicle around a sharp corner, Ryoko raised an eyebrow at the girl in the passenger seat and looked Momiji over, taking in her sparkling green eyes and flushed cheeks. "Well, he certainly seems to have caught your attention, this Mr. Dark-hair," Ryoko teased gently. 

Gulping audibly, Momiji sat ramrod straight in her seat, embarrasment flaming her cheeks even brighter. "No, er, its just that I-I mean, umm…" she lamely choked out. Taking a breath she decided to try again. "What I mean, Ryoko, is that he could be a great assest to the TAC! Anybody who can fight like that against the Arigami would be a good ally!" Momiji rushed onwards. "Yes, that is exactly it! We should try to recruit him!" 

Chuckling, Ryoko glanced at the girl again and smiled. "You wouldn't mind seeing him more often, eh Momiji?" 

"What?!? I-I mean, oh jeez…" Momiji trailed off and rolled down her small car window, hoping the rush of breeze would help to cool her suddenly fiercely blushing face. Ryoko just laughed and Momiji sunk further down into the seat, the picture of mortification embodied. 


	2. Let the Hunt Begin

**Chapter Two**   
  


Murakumo stood on top of the buildings overlooking Momiji's school, light breezes causing his long ebony hair to lift from his shoulders. He could see Kusanagi snoozing in the giant tree that spread over the brick wall of the schoolyard, no doubt waiting for Momiji. _Soon,_ Murakumo thought, gritting his teeth. Soon it would be time to put his plans into motion. And those plans called for a certain Kushinada, but not quite yet. He pondered the courses of action open to him. He needed to get the Kushinada inside the cermaic field again in order for everything to work out properly, and he knew he had to be subtler about it this time. Any rampaging monsters destoying schools would surely raise suspicion and tip off that annoyance of a protector. That was just one more hassle he just didn't need to deal with. 

The solution came to him so suddenly he was left smirking at his own sheer intelligence. He would just make this silly slip of a girl trust him! He had seen the way she had looked at him when they first met, her green eyes were shining with admiration and maybe something a little more. It would be easy to cause her to think of him as a friend, or even something else. Yes, that was it. He knew how superior his physical appearance was, and he had heard how teenage girls could be. All he had to do was act like the royalty he was and she would be eating out of his hand in no time. He would have to swallow his monumental pride, of course, something that would be difficult but he would give anything for his vision. The thought of he, Orochi, future King of the Arigami palling around with a 15-year-old human girl was enough to turn his stomach and he could feel his lips curling contemptuously. Fighting down the naseous feelings, he let a cold sharp laugh escape his lips as he saw his quarry emerge from the large double doors of the school. _Let the hunt begin!_ Murakumo thought exultantly and flew down towards the tiny redhead. 

~*~*~ 

Momiji was walking along the street towards Mr. Kunikida's house, eyes unfocused as she daydreamed about the strange dark-haired man. Just as she was getting to the good part, the part where he decided to ask her on a date and she felt a foolish grin on her face, she ran straight into a very large, solid mass. Bouncing off she fell on her backside, tossing books everywhere and landing with a heavy thump on the concrete sidewalk. 

"Ouch!" she cried out amid the snowshower of loose papers that fluttered around her. Straightening herself up with a frown, she began looking around for her scattered books and papers. Momiji suddenly froze, bent over in the middle of piling her belongings up as a low, smooth voice with a slightly mocking tone reached her ears. "You really should watch were you are going…Princess." 

Emerald eyes flying wide open in shock ,Momiji forced herself to look upwards at the source of the purr. Feeling her face flame, she finally met the eyes of the voice's owner, and her already wide eyes somehow managed to get even bigger as they met a pair of steely grey ones. _It's him!_ Momiji thought to herself, flustered. 

Chuckling slightly, Murakumo bent over to pick up the rest of Momiji's books. The girl just sat there gaping at him until he placed the pile in her hands and stepped back, laughing to himself at how easy this was going to be. Snapping out her trance, Momiji scambled to her feet, her already pink face turning a few shades darker as she stammered out a thanks. 

"Don't mention it, Princess," he purred, staring intently at her green eyes. Momiji could do nothing but stare, feeling like a mouse that was about to be trapped by the cat but not really caring at the moment. Those grey eyes had her mesmerized, and she would have stood in that position until he looked away. Suddenly an urgent voice broke into her reverie. 

"Momiji!" she could hear Kusanagi's voice, sounding as if it was coming from a thousand miles away. "Momiji!" it came again, a little louder. Murakumo, turning and seeing Kusanagi coming down the street towards them, caught up Momiji's hand and pressed it to his lips, keeping his eyes locked on hers the entire time as his silky mouth brushed the back of her hand. "Until next time then, Princess," he murmered against her skin, then in a flash he had dropped her hand and flown into the air, dissapearing in seconds. 

Kusanagi approached her and saw that she was still in the same position she had been when the strange man had left, mouth slightly open in shock and one hand held in front of her. "Momiji," he said, reaching her side and putting his gloved hand on her shoulder. Startled, she jumped and her eyes snapped back into focus, blinking up at Kusanagi in confusion before clouding over in anger. 

"Kusangi!" she cried furiously, and hit him in the arm with her fist. 

"Ouch!" he yelled, rubbing the offended limb with one hand. "What did you do that for, Momiji?" 

"You scared him away, idiot! It was perfectly lovely, he was being such a gentleman and helping me and then you had to show your fat head and he ran off. Now who knows when I will see him again??" she wailed. 

"But Momiji, how do we even know whose side he is on? What if he is on the Arigami side? He is an arigami, after all," Kusanagi fired back. 

"Well, so are you, blockhead! And whose side are you on, eh? Why do you have to be so negative all the time? Why can't you just accept that he might be able to help us, and he can do things that you can't?" Momiji rattled off in her anger, then stopped when she saw the frown on Kusanagi's face. He was trying to hide it but she knew that he had hurt him. "Kusanagi, I-" she began to apologize, but he cut her off midsentence. 

"Forget it Momiji. You have your fun with your little make-believe prince, but don't come whining to me if he doesn't turn out to be everything you imagined!" Kusanagi growled, and in an instant he too bounded away out of sight. Momij was left to pick up the rest of her belongings alone, and sighed. She didn't mean to yell at Kusanagi like that. She had to admit, this new Dark-hair was intriguing, but she knew that she loved Kusanagi as well. She would just have to try to apologize again the next time she saw him. Sighing again, Momij balanced the load of books and headed off towards home once again. 

_ To be Continued..._


	3. First Kiss

**Chapter Three**   


The next week, Momiji found Dark-hair waiting outside the school walls again, leaning nonchalantly with his eyes closed against the sun-baked brick as the breeze teased his raven hair. Lazily one eyelid drifted open to catch Momiji staring at him, slack-jawed. Uncrossing his arms and pushing himself away from the wall, he sauntered over to where she stood and stood in front of her, smirking slightly at her expression. 

"Why, hello again Momiji," he purred, the sound rubbing across her skin like fur, sending shivers down her back. 

"Ho-how do you know my name? Who are you?" Momiji stuttered out, Kusanagi's ominous warnings from yesterday ringing fresh in her memory. After careful contemplation last night she had decided that her slightly paranoid watchdog may have had a point, and she would make an effort to figure out who this strange man was before making a fool of herself again. Caution would be the word of the day, she had decided. 

"I make it my business to know a great deal about you, Momiji." He replied, and her brain decided to run with that one far too many places. Gritting her teeth, she mentally hauled herself back into the present to blink up at the strange man in surprise. "As for who I am, I am called Murakumo." Striding closer to the young girl, Murakumo crowded her personal space very effectively, staring down at her with two exotic gunmetal eyes and Momiji could feel her carefully constructed caution melting into gooey puddles at her feet. "It's very…dangerous out here, Princess. Arigami could be anywhere. Where did your bodyguard Kusanagi get to?" The man called Murakumo arched a raven brow at her, wing-like in its grace. 

"Uh…Kusanagi?" she dumbly echoed, all of her usual thoughts about the green-haired man pushed out of her mind by the presence of this other man. 

"Yes, he hardly ever leaves you alone." Murakumo flashed a wicked grin at Momiji, turning her knees to jelly on the spot. "I must admit, it is difficult to catch you by yourself." 

_Alone!_ She mentally squeaked. Why did he want to catch her alone? Although not suspicious by nature, thousands of scenarios began flashing through Momiji's head and she forced her fuzzy brain to coagulate. _Think, Momiji!_ she mentally chided herself, emabrrased by her lack of control. The only other person who could turn her into this much of an addle-brainded idiot was Kusanagi, but she trusted him far more than this mysterious Murakumo. _Just be smart,_ she told herself. She didn't need to go proving to everyone else that she was as naïve of a child as they thought she was. 

"I was beginning to give up hope of ever meeting up with you again." He breathed softly, edging still closer to the green-eyed waif. Murakumo saw her mentally stiffen as suspicion crept into those lush eyes of hers, and cursed himself for pushing too hard. He couldn't explain why he was drawn into those jade orbs, what sort of spell they were casting and why he was still standing there staring at her idiotically when he could snatch her away right now. _Grab her, fool!_ A tiny voice screamed at him. _She's alone, she's vulnerable, the time is now!_ But the voice was suddenly washed away in a flood of emerald. They _were_ beautiful eyes, he finally admitted. Deep pools that any man or beast fool enough to stare at long enough would fall in and drown. Too late, Murakumo began to realize that he too was slipping beneath those waters, drowning happily without a second thought. 

_Just once,_ he told himself, staring at her soft pink mouth. _One little kiss, it will cement her trust. Then next time…_he told himself, knowing the real reason that he was about to make this huge mistake was simply because he couldn't or wouldn't fight free of the emerald cobwebs his mind was wrapped up in. Leaning closer, he placed one hand in her silky auburn hair as she stared wide-eyed up at him. Grey eyes bored intensly into green, and Momiji's mouth opened slightly in shock. _Omigawsh!_ She thought. _He's going to kiss me!!_ She barely had time to close her eyes before she felt his lips on hers, brushing lightly at first as if in deferance to her young age. It was chaste, butterfly light as his lips danced across her own. Momiji felt his other arm circle her from behind as her bag fell from her nerveless fingers with a soft 'thud'. Suddenly, Murakumo increased the pressure on her lips, crushing her to him as all pretense of chastity flew out the window. Momiji felt something hot and wet on her lips before she realized it was a tongue, and in shock her lips parted slightly, giving Murakumo the opportunity he wanted. As he began to push his tongue into her soft mouth reason came crashing back to him like a load of bricks and he shoved the girl away from him, panting as he tried to regain his control. _What in the HELL???_ He kept asking himself. Staring at her, her cheeks rosy and lips slightly swollen from the pressure of the kiss, he felt panic well up inside himself and deperately tried maintain his composure. 

"I-I.." he stammered, shoving a hand into his thick hair distractedly. Turning to look at her once again, he suddenly caught sight of a green-haired figure standing a few feet away by the school wall, watching the scene intently. Cursing to himself as he realized that the last person he wanted to see what just happened HAD seen what just happened, Murakumo leaped into the air and sped away, hoping that he had not just made the biggest mistake of his ancient life so far. 

Momiji, after taking a moment to gather up her scattered wits, bent down to pick back up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. _A first kiss!_ She thought dazedly, feeling as if she was walking through the inside of a cloud. Everything was fuzzy and she didn't seem to be focusing right. Just as she was turning towards home her eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of the person leaning against the brick wall a few feet away. 

"Um…Kusanagi!" she forced out, gulping audibly as she saw the look in his eyes and the set of his jaw. Yup. He was definitely pissed. Cringing, she braced herself for the upcoming onslaught; he would surely yell and stomp and call her a thousand different names for behaving like an idiot. Instead he just pushed away from the wall and stalked towards her, looking more like the giant cat his eyes resembled than she had ever seen before. His body absolutely vibrated with contained anger, and Momiji knew she was really in for it this time. 

"Kusanagi, I'm sorry, I know, consorting with the enemy and all, right? I'm sorry.." Momiji began apologizing profusely, hoping to head off the brunt of his anger before trailing off as she saw the look in his eyes. Pouncing furiously Kusanagi grabbed her jaw roughly and tipped her head up towards his, cat-eyes scanning hers intensely, taking in her shining eyes, swollen lips, and still pink cheeks. Narrowing his eyes he dropped his hand and stepped back, nostrils flaring in anger and dissapointment. Momiji knew she had really let him down this time. She tried so hard to prove she wasn't just a naïve idiot or child to be babysat and then she went and got herself into positions like this! 

"Kusanagi," she began again, deperately wanting to erase the look of dissapointment in his eyes before she was cut off roughly by a wave of his hand, much like a parent to a child. Angered at this, Momiji clenched her teeth. She knew she was dumb, she knew she was naïve, but he didn't have to treat her like a child! "Now look here Kusanagi!" she started furiously. "I'm not a child, stop treating me like one! Until you prove to me that this Murakumo is the devil incarnate or working for the Arigami, just leave us alone and quit babysitting me! I can take care of myself!" 

Bracing herself for argument she had surely launched, Momiji was startled when he just stormed back over to her, staring down into her eyes menacingly with his arms crossed. "Little fool!" was all he hissed out through clenched teeth before he suddenly bounded away, leaving a deflated and hurt Momiji behind to try and contain her tears. 


	4. Earth to Kusanagi

**Chapter 4**

Kusanagi leaped from rooftop to rooftop with the fervor of a man chased by wolves, anger and dissapointment burning in his veins and fueling his hasty departure. Clenching his teeth, he let the rage push his body higher and faster until, finally spent, he dropped to the ground amidst the trees outside of Mr. Kunikida's house. He knew it would still be awhile before Momiji made it here, but it was his responsibility to watch her, even when she was at home. Taking advantage of his time alone, Kusanagi paced furiously in the underbrush, shadowed by the huge trees and bracken growing around him. Why had she done it? Did she not listen to a word he ever said to her? Answering his own question, Kusanagi knew that Momiji only payed attention to a quarter of the advice he gave her, and heeded even less. But still, he had never thought she could sink to such levels of stupidity! 

"Consorting with the enemy…" he mocked Momiji's voice and tone. Consorting indeed! That little fool had left herself wide open to God knows what! They still had no clue who this Murakumo was and why he had taken such an interest in Momiji. It was obvious to Kusanagi that the man had mitamas like he did, and that he must have more that Kusanagi because he was able to truly fly. But that didn't make him more trustworthy, it made him less! Why was he the only one who saw this? Growling in frustration, Kusanagi jammed a hand through his thick green hair and then rubbed his face, trying to gain control over his emotions. He was puzzled by the ferocity of his reaction; he knew that the betrayal and anger he felt cut deep but couldn't explain it's source. 

Every time he thought he would succeed in getting the upper hand his minds eye would shove that picture in front of his face, Momiji practically melting into the arms of that long-haired freak as he KISSED her, and the rage would flare up even higher than before. Snarling in anger, Kusanagi rammed his fist into the nearest tree, then extended his blades and proceeded to turn the trunks of the nearest five trees into barkdust. Why was he so angry?! Desperately attempting to regain control, Kusanagi forced himself to pause and take deep breaths. Talk to someone, that's it! He needed to get someone elses opinion about that creepy newcomer. If he could convince the TAC that this Murakumo was dangerous maybe he wouldn't be feeling this way. He wouldn't feel as if he was the only one who saw how dangerous this guy was and why Momiji needed to stay away from him. 

Having finally decided on a course of action, Kusanagi felt the edge on his emotions dull. That was how he lived his life, action to action. Not emotion to emotion. He wasn't sure how to handle these feelings and it made him uncomfortable that he couldn't pinpoint a source. He needed something to do, someone to beat up. _Where's an arigami when you need one?_ He grinned wryly, and decided he would try talking to Ryoko first. She seemed the most suspicious one, her experience on the police force would have taught her to take nothing for granted. With his decision made and plenty of time before Momiji made it home, Kusanagi brushed a few splinters off his coat and bounded back towards the TAC headquarters to seek out Ms. Takeuchi. 

~*~*~ 

Ryoko Takeuchi could feel her eyebrows inching further and further up her forehead as she listened to Kusanagi relate the story of that afternoons proceedings to her. Everyone else was on break and she had been alone at her desk in the room when a tall shadow had thrown itself over her papers. Glancing up, she had been surprised to see the young half-arigami standing before her desk, looking slightly uncomfortable and out-of-sorts. Immediately Ryoko's thoughts had flashed to Momiji and she jumped to her feet. 

"What is it Kusanagi?? It it Momiji? Is she ok?" Ryoko asked him, her voice threaded through with worry and concern. At the mention of Momiji's name Ryoko saw Kusanagi's face darken and his eyebrown draw together in a frown. Puzzled, she stared at his waiting for a response. 

"Momij's fine, nothings wrong. Well, nothing is immediately wrong." Kusanagi said, and began pacing in fron of Ryoko's desk , running one hand through his hair absently. Settling back down, Ryoko waited for Kusanagi to continue his explanation. As he came to rest in a chair next to her desk and launched into it, voicing his concern over the character of this Murakumo, Ryoko could feel herself nodding along with him. Even if Murakumo had done nothing to prove he was the bad guy, he had yet to come right out and say he wore white. She believed that discretion was the better part of valour and they had better take this one slowly. When Kusanagi saw that Ryoko was in agreement with him, he began to relate the events of the last hour to her, leaving a dumbfounded Ryoko to stare at him blankly. 

"He did what?" she finally choked out, her blue eyes widening in shock, stunned that things had gotten this out of hand so fast. She had teased the girl about the stranger, but she had never actually thought anything would come of Momiji's crush. 

"He kissed her!!" Kusanagi spat out venemously, and Ryoko could see his cat eyes narrow in anger. Leaping up from his chair, Kusanagi began pacing again in front of her with a ferocity that was unrivaled, waving his arms wildly and spouting streams of insults, berating Momiji for her naivety, stupidity, gullibility, idiocy, innocence, and any of a thousand other things he could think of. Watching this display with amusement, Ryoko began to chuckle as a thought formed in her mind and took hold. Hearing the sounds of laughter from behind the desk Kusanagi rounded on Ryoko furiously, opening his mouth to ask what was so funny when he was stopped by the expression on her face. Still chuckling, Ryoko raised an eyebrow at Kusanagi and grinned. 

"Why, Kusanagi…" she drawled. "I do believe that you are jealous!!" 

Kusanagi's mouth flew open in automatic protestation when he was suddenly stopped mid-word as the full impact of Ryoko's words hit him like a Mack truck. Sinking silently back into the chair he had pulled up earlier Kusanagi could feel his mouth open and close like a fish. Jealous? Him? Jealous??? But that would have to mean…Dear God! Kusanagi groaned and put one hand over his face, sinking further into the chair as he finally realized what everyone else had known for ages. He really did love that silly girl! He was absolutely, madly, idiotically in love with Momiji! 

Ryoko couldn't help but laugh as Kusanagi peered up at her, the absolute picture of misery. Finally that baka boy had gotten the idea! Still grinning, Ryoko got up and patted the dejected arigami on the arm. 

"Don't worry Kusanagi. Being in love with Momiji isn't a death sentence you know." 

"Yes but…" Kusanagi trailed off, and Ryoko looked at him expectantly. "Well, it's a lost cause! She's in love with Murakumo. He ws her first kiss! That should have been me! What can I do now, Ryoko? I think I've already lost her." 

Sighing, Ryoko shook her head in wonderment at the absolute thick-headedness of this man. Were all guys this dense? "Kusanagi, Momiji loves you. Trust me, we all know. She has loved you way before this Murakumo came onto the scene. You can't just give up without a fight, you know. You just have to re-convince her that you are the most attractive man she knows. You're handsome, show it off. Try some different clothes, bring her gifts, do anything but just give up! If she knew that you were really interested in her, she would forget about Murakumo in an instant." Ryoko smiled cheerily, hoping her little pep talk would help out the poor lump of misery that was occupying her deskspace. 

Kusanagi straightened in his chair a little, determination echoing in all the lines of his face. She was right! The only way now was to fight back.. He couldn't let this long-haired freak take what belonged to him! Jumping to his feet, Kusanagi ran to the window and threw a quick "Thanks, Ryoko!" over his shoulder before bounding out onto the Tokyo rooftops and heading towards Momiji's house. Smiling, Ryoko could only wish the poor guy luck. _It's about time!_ she thought with a smile, and settled back down in her seat to finish her paperwork. 

_To be Continued..._


	5. Of Humans and Weaklings

_ Authors Notes: Ok, all, I am sorry that this has taken me so long to put up and that it is so short. I am nursing my poor freshly broken heart *sniffle* so writing may be coming a little slower for awhile. But I promise all of you that I will finish this story. Please please have patience with me! ~Threnody_   
  


**Chapter 5**

Murakumo was doing his own fair share of pacing today as well. The arigami was atop one of Tokyo's skyscrapers, wearing a channel on the roof between one side and the other. Confusion crashed over him in waves, and the more he tried to straighten out the feelings that were assaulting him the more mixed up he got. He knew he was spending too much time in human form, that little incident earlier had shoved that in his face. Abruptly, Murakumo ceased his frantic pace and rubbed his temples with long, pale fingers. He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on and snorted in derision. So this was what he was reduced to…migraines. What had happened to the proud Prince of Arigami? What had happened to the ruthless, merciless Orochi? 

Dropping his hands, Murakumo folded his arms across his chest and frowned at the dirty city skyline. The old Orochi had disappeared, wrapped tightly in an emerald web that had been spun by that charming little spider. The Kushinada…Murakumo knew that she had power over him, but he had thought it was only the power that was locked inside her blood. Not like this, not this…_feeling_ he had. The frown on his face grew stormier. For years, years! he had dreamed of this day, of this opportunity to take the Kushinada. And he had thrown it all away for the pull of sixteen-year old lips. His body as well as his mind felt as if it was being torn into two. Kill the girl? For some odd reason, he felt almost physically ill at the thought. But what choice did he have? He was not about to sacrifice his dreams, and he especially wasn't going to give them up for some sixteen year old slip of a girl that was the embodiment of everything he hated! 

Suddenly, the clouds on his brow lifted as a new train of thought began. This Kushinada's twin Kaede was a vital part of his new plans. She had come to him willingly, disgusted by the world she lived in and humans had created. She had convinced him to awaken Lord Susano-oh and he had gone along with the plan willingly, knowing that it would be the best way to rid the earth of the human filth it was infested with. She had also begun spouting nonsense about the power of the Kushinada over the Arigami, a word of which he had not believed. But what if she was right? What if there was some truth to her babbling? He didn't want to discount any possibility, any tiny thing that might upset his plans. And if she was speaking truth, would it not be better to have the other Kushinada under his control as well? Perhaps…perhaps he did not have to kill her after all. If Momiji could be persuaded to see the truths that her sister had, she might come willingly to the side of the Arigami. _And to him.._ whispered a tiny voice that he quickly brushed off. If she did indeed have power over the Arigami and he was able to bring her under his control that would only add to his claim as the King of all Arigami. 

Murakumo could feel his mouth curling in a smug smile. If this girl could just be persuaded to believe in his cause, he would be spared the trouble of trying to get rid of her. He could just see the humans confusion now, as their day of reckoning fell upon them with a vengenance and they turned their faces towards their 'savior', their Kushinada, only to find that she stood proudly by his side and had turned deaf ears to the cries of her people. Of course, now he had to try and ignore the annoying buzz in the back of his mind that kept insisting that his new course of action wasn't entirely for the sake of his plans. He refused to believe that any mere weakling of a girl could provide anything for him. Groaning out loud, Murakumo decided that he _definitely_ was spending way too much time in this damn human guise. It was messing with his head already, and he couldn't seem to get that traitorous little voice to stop insisting that all of these plans were only thinly veiled excuses to spare the girls life because he just couldn't seem to stand the thought of killing her. Sighing, Murakumo watched as the sun sank lower on the horizon and carefully began to lay out new plans; ones that included the Kushinada alive. 

_To be continued..._


End file.
